The Presidents

American presidents hold the most powerful office on earth and occupy a unique place at the center of national and world events. At once chief executive, head of state, commander-in-chief, and leader of a political party, the President of the United States is also a prominent cultural figure, and a bellwether of the society he governs.

In this award-winning collection, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE offers 37 hours of streaming documentaries on nine 20th-Century American presidents. Also, read biographies of every U.S. President, and browse original interviews, articles, photo galleries, timelines and extensive teacher guides.

Films in this Collection

A president who rose from a broken childhood to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history, and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage.

If you had asked me in 2006 where I saw myself in seven years, I wouldn't have said "working for a television history series".

In 2006, I was a student at the University of Arizona in Tucson, majoring in nutrition science with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian. That summer, I was taking the first of two Organic Chemistry classes I would have to take to complete my degree.

During extended periods of procrastination - which were frequent - I would go to the local video rental store and scan the documentary aisle for anything that would further distract me from my studies. One day I came across American Experience's "The Kennedys". I didn't know much about the Kennedy family aside from what was taught in school and what I had read in People Magazine, so I decided to rent it.